. I regularly see RC's kneel down in front of the statue of Mary praying to her expecting their prayers to receive special treatment because of it. This behavior is promoted and thought to be pious.And?
Do people bow to kings, salute officers in the military, doff their hats in respect to others? How is this worship? It is VENERATION of the most HOLY women of all times. Is the Mother of God NOT worthy of veneration?
Do people pray to them? Do people attribute to them characteristics that only God has? You can certainly honor someone without worshiping them. But when you attribute to someone all of God's characteristics and roles, and pray to them for things that only God can give, thereby responding to them in virtually the same way that you respond to Christ, you're going to have an awfully hard time convincing someone that what you're doing is not worshiping that person.
How is this worship?
By attributing to her characteristics and roles that belong to God only and praying to her as one would pray to God for things that only God can give.
It is VENERATION of the most HOLY women of all times.
A rose by any other name.....
Veneration, worship. A distinction without a difference.
Is the Mother of God NOT worthy of veneration?
God didn't have a mother. Christ did.
Calling Mary the *Mother of God* carries with it and implies a meaning different that calling her the *Mother of Christ*.
You can, through convoluted reasoning, justify the title all you want, but the two different titles send two different messages, subtle though they may be. And the message sent to non-Catholics is not as insignificant as Catholics like to portray it.
Words mean things and if Catholics are going to use improper words, they shouldn't be surprised that they're misinterpreted.
OTOH, if so many people are making the same error in interpreting what the Catholic Church teaches, it behooves the RCC to look at what it's saying because obviously something is getting lost in the translation, and it can't justify throwing the blame for that back on the people who misunderstood. The people making their case need to make sure they are precise and clear about what they teach. It's not the hearers responsibility to get the message across correctly.
If Catholics are going to call Mary the Mother of God, then they are going to have to live with the rest of the non-Catholic world thinking that Catholics believe that God had a mother and that Mary is greater than Him.
If they don't like it, then they should say what they mean.